Dr. Laura Perna

Biography

Laura W. Perna is the Vice Provost and Centennial Presidential Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. She serves as the executive director of Penn's Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (Penn AHEAD). Perna has held numerous leadership roles in major national scholarly organizations in the field of higher education administration, including serving as the president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and as a member of the AERA Grants Governing Board. Perna's research focuses on issues of college access and success, examining how social structures and public policies impact higher education, particularly for underrepresented groups. She has published extensively, including books such as "Taking Streets: Role of Scholarship in Advocacy" and "The Attainment Agenda: State Policy Leadership in Higher Education." Perna's work has received recognition and she has been honored with numerous awards, such as the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching. She is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and a member of the National Academy of Education. Perna's current research initiatives aim to enhance equity in higher education, especially through College Promise programs and informed public policy engagement.

Research Interests